Financial Health:
• My chair (Dr. Dan Danzl) is impressively knowledgeable about finances. He recommends to subscribe to Money magazine and read every issue. Over decades, this one behavior will impart a huge amount of knowledge. Take home point is that you must read something regularly, whether it is a book, auditing a course, meeting with and actively learning from a financial advisor, etc.
• One option is subscribing to newsletters. A great one is Jonathan Clements Humble Dollar. Sign up here.
• His most recent topic was the pros and cons of target date retirement funds. Pros should be well known: low fees, no maintenance, mix is geared toward the exact year you want to retire, etc.
• But Cons: Purchasing individual components of the fund might have less fees. Might pay more taxes. Cant sell component parts when wanting to balance out a bear stock market. And finally, you can’t really invent your own mix, always subject to the exact proportions of a fund. But there are quite a few to choose from.
Endure:
• This book is mostly about endurance sports but hits on sprinting and weight training as well. It is all about the biochem / physiology of reaching the limits of human performance. One major theme in the book is the search for the “Central Governor” in the brain. That is the voice that tells you to stop an exertional activity. Tim Noakes first argued for this concept, received a lot of criticism, but now most people agree with the data that something int he brain (versus muscles or heart) makes you stop running, biking, etc, even though you still have gas in the tank.
• There is a placebo-type effect because of this. For instance, swishing a sugary sports drink in your mouth and spitting it back out enhances performance. This effect is greater than infusing the Gatorade through a nasogastric tube directly into the stomach.
• Another finding along the same lines, Elite athletes have higher lab tested pain tolerance. So just like the SEAL, do something today (everyday) that makes you uncomfortable!
Low Carb Snack:
• If you grew up in the South you have probably had pork rinds. Well they are back in style and many brands are promoting pork rinds made from pasture-raised, no hormone, clean, massaged, polite, articulate animals. Check out Epic brand and 4505. Probably a little healthier than Mac’s brand from a gas station. Pork Rinds are zero carb and 8-12 grams of protein per serving. The Epic baked style are lower in fat.
• Several Louisville restaurants are making their own in house, notably LouVino who made a pulled pork nacho dish with rinds instead of chips.
Commonplace book:
• Whether you read a book a week, one a month, or a couple a year, it makes sense to keep track of what you learn. For most of 2018 I have kept a commonplace book. If you are a notecard kind of person, try this system. This works with fiction and nonfiction. Write down passages, or at least page numbers of the more important parts of books you read. Quotes. Integrative ideas.
• With nonfiction works this can really add up to a solid trove of information to reflect on. Also gain a sense of accomplishment that promotes more reading.
Protein : Energy Ratio:
• Ted Naiman, mentioned in last week’s newsletter, is arguing pretty strongly for a protein:energy index as the key to weight maintenance and weight loss.
• Basically take the grams of protein : grams of fat + carb, (carbs and fat are used as energy but protein is more a building block for the cells). Humans will keep eating until they have reached an optimal protein amount. So if you are eating high fat, high carb or (the worst) high fat and carb, you will have a hard time feeling full. Protein is the key satiating component. We leave steak on the plate, but always have room for dessert.
• Naiman is all about whole foods, he is not suggesting a macro only approach to eating. But he recommends to stick to foods with 1:1 or even 2,3,5:1 ratios. Steak and eggs would be 1:1 (1g protein:1g fat). Fish often 2 or 3:1. Jerky can have a high ratio if low carb. Pure whey protein can be 10+:1. He recommends 1 gram protein per pound of body weight per day, which is a whole other discussion. Check out this podcast for more.
Quote:
“Cherish those who seek the truth, but beware of those who find it.”
– Voltaire
